Silas y



@auch tatzs atmt @ffice Letters Patent No. l81,509, dated' August 25, 1868.

nurnovnn CHEESE-PRESS.

@its Simula mettrais -in these grits/ts @peut mit mating part uitte same.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, SILAS Y. IVES, of Meriden, in the county of New Haven, and State of Connecticut,

have invented a new Improvement in Cheese-Press: and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the letters ,of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and

exact description ofthe same, and which salddrawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

' I Figure 1, a front View,

Figure 2 a longitudinal central sectional view, and in Figure 3 the same sectional view in a different position. i i This invention relates moreparticularly to thatclass of presses used by dairymen, commonly called cheesepresses, vbut'isl alike applicable to other purposes, and the invention consists in the arrangement of the lower platen upon a vertical-sliding frame, upon which said frame is arranged. a drum at opposite ends, and the said drum's caused to revolve, as the platen descends, by means of a rack on the frame of the press and a pinion on the isha'ft of the drum, and upon the upper platen a single drum' is arranged, from which a band extends to each of the said two drums, so that as theltwo platens descend, the drums on the lower platen, revolving, wind up the bands attached to the upprerplaten, so as to draw the upper platen gradually to the lower, as the two descend, the drum on the upper platen being for the adjustment of theplatens one upon theothcr, so that thepthing to be pressed', placed upon the lower platen, and the platens allowed to descend, the upper platen'is drawn down on to tho thing to be pressed, the weight of "the thing to be pressed thus adding to the pressure.

To enable others to construct and use my improvement, I will proceed to describe the same, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

A is the base or bed of thc press; B B, two uprights, supported by braces C, and tied at their upper end by cross-bars D. v

E, the lower platen, is fixed upon two vertical slides, F, which move up and-down freely in the uprights B, and in suitable bearings on the slides, F, or on the platen E.

Two shafts G are arranged, provided with pinions H, and on the side of the uprights'are arranged corresponding racks I, so that as thc slidesF and platen E move.up'and down, the pinions and their shaft are accordingly turned, the two shaftsrforining drums upon which to wind the bands or cords L.

M, the upperplat-en, moves freely up anddown between the slides F, and onthesaid upper platen is arranged a drum, N, upon the shaft of which a ratchet, P, is tixed, intowhich a pawl, R,`operates.

The two bands, L, extend up through the upper platen, and are attached to thedrnm N, so that by turning the drum N the two platens are caused to approach each other, and are held in position bythe pawl R, operating in the ratchet P.

Froin the upper platen, cords or bands S extend up to the drum T, so that by turning the said drum T, the whole movable part ofy the pressis drawn up, as from thc position in`g. 3 to that in` fig. 1, or lowered accordingly, and when so raised is held in position by a pawl, U, operating in the rack W on the drum T, as seen in'ig. 1.

This completes the construction of'tho press. Itsoperation is asfollows:

Place the thing, Z, to be pressed, upon the lower platen E, as in Iig. 1, when all the parts are held up by the pawl U. If it is necessary, for the insert-ion of the thing Z, that the platcns be opened wider, release the drum N by raising the pawl R, and the lower platen will descend, while the upper platen is held by the pawl U, and when the lower platen has descended so as to open suiiic/iently between the two platens, arrest its further descent by dropping the pawl R into the ratchet l, or, if the space be too wide, reverse the operation, and draw up the lower platen. i

- The thing to be pressed `being placed on the lower platen, and adjusted as described, raise the pawl U, which supports all the movable parts, and allow them to descend. In descending, the drum'N, it will be noticed, is held fast by the pawl R while the lower drums are being turned by their pinions H, travelling down their respective racks I, and thus turning, the bands L are wound upon the drums T, so as to draw the lower platen nearer to the upper platen. The diameter of the pinions being much larger than the diameter of theirl drums,

I the power which is exerted over the drums to wind the bands thereon is proportionate to the diameter of the` pinions to the drums, the weight of the movable parts and the thing to be pressed adding to the force which causes the whole to descend. The power, therefore, exerted by the descent, as described, is verymany times the weight of the thing to be pressed, and is self-adjusting, for so festas the thing to be pressed is compressed or diminished in thickness, the platens descend, and consequently maintain the same pressure' so long as the` thing to be pressed remains therein. Having been suicicntly pressed, raise the parts, by means of the drum T, before described, and, in so raising, the belts from the lower drums are released in proportion as they were drawn up, consequently opening the two platens, so that after being raised a short distance, the thing pressed may be removed. A

` Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, and desire'to secure by Letters 1. The arrangement of the two platens, M and E, combined with the drums G and bands L, so as to opcrate, by the descent of the platens, substantially as specified.

` 2. In combination with the above, I claim the drum M, operating as described.

3. In combination with the subject-matter of the rst clause, I claim the bands S and drum T, arranged so as. to operate substantially as specified.

S. Y. IVES. Witnesses:

' J. H. SHUMWAY, A. J, TIBBITS. 

